You can now add folders in Windows 11's pinned apps section

It’s the Beta Channel Insiders turn to sit on the sidelines and watch as the opposing team receives the new ball this week, after receiving an update only a few days ago.

Thus, after two weeks with no Dev channel releases whatsoever, the Redmond-based tech company has finally unveiled build 22557.

You might want to know that this Dev channel release is now moving to the NI_RELEASE or Nickel branch in preparation for the major feature update to Windows 11 later this year.

And there are loads of new stuff here, with features such as revamped Task Manager, Focus, and new Snap layouts, among others.

However, before we get into it and discover together what Microsoft changed via this latest software patch, we’re going to take a look at the TLDR section:

• Windows Insiders will notice that the name of the branch we are releasing builds from has changed to NI_RELEASE. The branch in which we release builds from to Insiders in the Dev Channel is irrelevant to the features and improvements included within them. Going forward we will no longer be noting when these branch changes occur. For more on our approach to how we release things to the Dev Channel, please read this blog post here.
• This build will not be offered to ARM64 PCs. We hope to be able to offer a new build for Insiders on ARM64 PCs soon.
• This build includes a handful of new features for Insiders to try including folders in the pinned apps area of Start, live captions, a new Focus experience, Quick Access improvements in File Explorer, new touch gestures, and a lot more.
• This build also includes a lot of general improvements and refinements to Windows 11 too.
• We do have some new known issues for some of the new features and improvements being introduced with this build so be sure to read through the known issues below before submitting feedback.
• We’re making it quicker to get to your recent Android apps on your phone from the Your Phone app. Details below.
• Join us on Tuesday, February 22nd at 10am PST / 6pm UTC for our next Windows Insider webcast! We’ll discuss “Filing Feedback on the Difficult Bugs”, we’ll talk about logs that can be helpful, and sharing content links you can reference. Mark your calendar and tune in!

You can create and manage folders in the pinned apps section

The tech giant said it went based on user feedback for this feature, therefore it was added to the new Dev Channel build for Windows 11.

We’ve heard from many of you that you’d like to customize your pins in Start by organizing them into folders, so we’re introducing the first version of folders in this build.

All you have to do is drag an app on top of another to create a folder. You can add more apps to a folder, rearrange apps within a folder, and remove apps from a folder.

Microsoft also said it reimagined focus experiences on Windows, with DND and Focus. And while do not disturb makes it easy to silence notifications, Focus is a new experience that enables everyone to stay in the moment.

To help you stay on track, Focus integrates with the Clock app for other focus tools, such as a focus timer and calming music.

Also added with this build are Live captions, which will help everyone, including people who are deaf or hard of hearing, better understand audio by viewing captions of spoken content.

Captions are automatically generated on-device from any content with audio and can be displayed at the top or bottom of the screen, or in a floating window.

The tech giant is rolling out an update to File Explorer’s Quick Access view. First, Pin to Quick Access support has been extended from only supporting Folders to now also supporting Files.

What you might also want to keep in mind is that pinned files are shown in a new section above Recent files in Quick Access.

To help you have control over storage consumption and ensure your files are syncing, we’ve added OneDrive integration into File Explorer.

When browsing your OneDrive folders, you can now see your sync status and quota usage without having to leave File Explorer.

And, for those of you who use the new OS on tablets or phones, this build includes 5 new touch gestures to make it easier and quicker to navigate Windows 11 on a PC with touch.

Among the other additions are improved Snap Layouts, more sustainable power settings and recommendations, Task Manager Redesign & Efficiency Mode, and more improvements to browsing the web in Microsoft Edge with Narrator.

You can read more about all the changes and improvements introduced, as well as known issues, on the official Microsoft blog post.

Happy with the new changes coming to Windows 11 in the near future? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below.